composer
Vanessa Lann was born on April 6, 1968 in New York.
Education: Vanessa Lann has been a composer and pianist since the age of five. She studied composition with Ruth Schonthal ...
related works
24 capriccio's voor viool solo
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Violin
Instruments:
vl
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Voice and large ensemble
Instruments:
bar pf 9vl 3vla 2vc cb
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Voice and large ensemble
Instruments:
sopr 1121 1110 perc hp pf 2vl vla vc cb
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Voice and large ensemble
Instruments:
mezzo fl/picc/fl-a cl/cl-b h perc hp pf 2vln vla vc db
composition
Stap verder : for female voice, tapdancer and big band / Vanessa Lann; text by Emma Lazarus
Other authors:
Lazarus, Emma
(librettist)
Description:
The African hocket technique of ‘one player, one note’ was the
inspiration and structural basis for Stap verder. In the ensemble music of many African communities each instrument produces only one tone. Each musician is responsible for voicing that tone, and only that tone, using the unique sound and character of his or her instrument. This reflects how the role of the individual in these societies is perceived. The Ngumi proverb ‘Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu’ means that an individual ‘exists’ only through contact with other persons in the community. Similarly, in this type of music (just as in Stap verder) a melody becomes discernible only when each player grows aware of the contribution of every other player. However simple, each person’s musical gesture is significant; without the participation of each member of the group, no music can happen.
Emma Lazarus’ immortal text (engraved on the Statue of Liberty in NY) – “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…” – also mirrors the belief that a society cannot successfully exist without recognizing the voice of even the smallest individual.
Vanessa Lann (October 2016)